Reviews

Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash by Eka Kurniawan

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mobyskine's review against another edition

3.0

Barangkali saya tidak mungkin lagi menemukan kisah lelaki seperti Ajo Kawir di mana-mana buku novel yang lain.

Nama-nama karakter yang aneh, cerita yang bersahaja-- saya tidak pasti sama ada saya suka ataupun tidak. Ada yang menghiburkan, ada sedikit janggal dan meleret. Sebuah buku yang okay.

Still a fan of Eka Kurniawan :)

anisha9's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

aulibeurary_'s review against another edition

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4.0

Bukan jenis buku yang akan ku pinjamkan ke adik-adikku tentunya. Gaya penulisan Eka Kurniawan selalu khas dan blak-blakan. Gak ada kata yang diperhalus sama sekali. Penamaan tokohnya juga unik; Tokek, Iteung, Budi Baik.
Buku ini juga sarat pesan moral dari si Burung.

t_yl_r's review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I went into this novel knowing that assault was the catalyst, but I don’t think tying comedy into it was that effective. There were moments where the book felt hard to enjoy bc of it. And OMG I couldn’t read this on the train/bus bc penis, pecker, or bird was basically on every page😭

The Tarantino-esque scenes like the beat downs and truck racing were entertaining, although “ladies heaving with desire” isn’t how I would personally describe how the women were written in this novel. Truthfully, the only saving grace for the portrayal of these women is that one of them got revenge.

I found the switching of character perspectives to be a little disorienting at times, especially in the last chapter. It for sure feels like it was written to be vignettes/flashbacks in a film, which makes sense in the context of a Tarantino film, but I don’t think it was as convincing here.

I’d have to read another one of Kurniawan’s novels to get a better grasp on their work, but overall, I don’t think i’d recommend this book to a friend

Content Warnings

masonrystyle's review against another edition

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funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash was a story told in bursts and flashbacks. While occasionally hard to root yourself in the story, it was occasionally laugh out loud funny, but always compelling. If you are a fan of non-structured storytelling and constantly asking yourself “what did I just read” this is the story for you.

Overall, while this isn’t the typical novel I pick up, I loved reading about Ajo Kawir’s journey and those he met along the way.

Content Warnings